Coverage of the Frisco RoughRiders from Dr Pepper Ballpark

Terrelle Pryor to the Roughriders?

The Roughriders acquired the draft rights to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor yesterday. That’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, not to be confused with the Frisco RoughRiders. Clearly, Saskatchewan hasn’t gotten the memo that capitalizing the second “R” just feels right.

However, those Roughriders will be Pryor-less, as reported by AP today. That means, I guess, that he’s available. I don’t know how good of a baseball player is, but he is great at getting tattooed. If he’s a pitcher, that’s not a good omen.

San Antonio had not tattooed the ‘Riders until yesterday. Let’s delve into the loss in today’s Facts.

FRISCO FACTS:

If you learned one thing from yesterday’s game, it is probably this—San Antonio is loaded offensively. Five runs came on two opposite-field home runs from Vince Belnome, who is not one of the “big bashers” on the club. Then, Anthony Contreras, the Missions’ eight-hole hitter, crushed a grand slam in the eighth inning. If you don’t limit Belnome and consistently retire Contreras, you will have a tough time outscoring San Antonio. Frisco found that out yesterday.

That Contreras bomb was the Missions’ seventh grand slam of the season. As a team, San Antonio is hitting .329 (28-for-85) with 84 RBIs in bases loaded situations this season. Two teams—Tulsa (.378) and Midland (.344)—are hitting better than San Antonio in those situations; however, the Drillers and RockHounds combine for only 109 at bats and 92 RBIs. The frequency is the alarming thing, as the Missions average 1.5 at-bats with the bases loaded per game.

Unfortunately, the RoughRiders’ “elimination number” fell to 7 with 13 games left. It is not insurmountable, but it will be a challenge. Still, Frisco is in great shape if the Missions keep playing well all season because of the struggles of Midland and Corpus Christi. The ‘Riders are nine and 11 games ahead of the RockHounds and Hooks, respectively.

The ‘Riders (24-11) have the second-best record in Double-A since May 1, yet they haven’t gained any ground in the division. That’s because the Missions have the exact same record over that span.

We’ve mentioned this on the broadcast a few times. If Frisco were in the North, the club would not only be in first place, but it would have a three-game lead on Arkansas, the current squad in first. Right now, the North’s best and worst are separated by only a game and a half.

The RoughRiders will turn to Carlos Pimentel to try to even up this series. After a rough April, Pimentel has really settled down. Since the beginning of May, Pimentel is 2-0 with a 3.99 earned run average. Against the Missions in three starts, Pimentel boasts a 2.16 ERA.

Props to the RoughRiders Director of Community Development Mike Davidow for being quoted in the newest issue of ESPN the Magazine. He was asked about the creation of uniforms for major league players when on a rehab assignment. Clearly, the Worldwide Leader has ALL the big time contacts.

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